Fooled Heart
by who9847
Summary: What if Jareth's broken-hearted expression at the end was not because he failed to win Sarah's affection but because he failed to convince the Underground's savior to stay thus dooming it? What would Sarah's fate have been if she stayed? Alternate ending.


Disclaimers: Labyrinth, not mine. David Bowie (searches expectantly under desk), nope, still not mine, either.

And I apologize for the corny title. I know it's been done to death, but I really couldn't think of anything better.

* * *

He was desperate. He could almost taste her victory, and it was something that was utterly inconceivable. For centuries he had awaited one such as her. Her vivacity, her courage, and most of all, her imagination. It would be enough to feed the Underground for ages. Already the magic had been waning for the last several decades as the world Above had lost its belief in magic. If he could just trap this girl, she would rejuvenate the dry and barren lands that had slowly been appearing throughout the realm. He simply could not let her slip away!

"I ask so little in return. Just let me rule you and you can have your dreams." She had already rejected her dreams before, but he had to keep trying; he was running out of options. If he only had a little more time, he could finish breaking down her defenses. He had come close during the ball/dream they had shared. It was because of his knowledge of that dream that he again offered her dreams.

". . . and my kingdom as great." Sarah's heart caught in her throat as she looked into the eyes of this unnaturally beautiful being to try to ascertain what he was really offering. Oh, she could get lost in those eyes! She almost had. When he appeared in the tunnel, and she had infuriated him with that "piece of cake" comment, it was only to distract herself from his mesmerizing gaze. It had not been her intent to anger him, and had Toby's very being not been at stake, she would seriously have considered giving in to him as he leaned into her to ask how she was liking the Labyrinth. The effect he had on her was hypnotic, his gaze combined with his scent - cinnamon and something uniquely magical - it had taken every ounce of will she possessed to keep from reaching up and touching his face, or stroking his hair. And then there was the peach induced dream. She never knew that a man's embrace could feel so right, so natural. Would it really be such a bad thing to accept her dreams? To spend eternity gazing into those eyes? To be held in his strong embrace? In the background, she could hear the clock chiming. Her time was nearly up.

"Will you let Toby go?" she blurted out without even thinking.

"Anything you want. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." He could afford to make this promise. If he lost, he would have to return the boy anyway, and if he won, it would be a moot point. In any event, it would all be over in just a few more seconds. If he could keep her distracted for a few more seconds, he would have it all.

The clock continued chiming. Sarah's thoughts were going in several directions at once. What were those blasted words? Unbidden, a different part of the story came to her mind, "the king of the goblins had fallen in love with her." Was that what he offering her? His heart? She had to make her decision quickly. She looked up again at those mesmerizing eyes, her mind made up. "Just send Toby home," she said as the clock finished striking thirteen.

"Done," he said breathing a mental sigh of relief as Toby disappeared. He smiled at her, not the jubilant smile of a lover who just learned his dear one returns his affections, but rather with the haughty condescension of a victor who knew his success had been assured all along.

The look on his face gave Sarah pause, and she stepped back away from him, suddenly frightened of what she had just agreed to.

He stepped toward her and took her hand to lead her out of the Escher room. "Come Sarah, you must be tired. Let me show you to your room," he offered as he threw a crystal to magic them into a bedroom.

"Oh," Sarah gasped as she took in her lavish surroundings. The room was fit for a queen. She blushed at this thought, trying not to look at the Goblin King as she felt a nervous warmth radiate throughout her being. In the center of the room, there was a large four poster bed covered with an assortment of velvet pillows in a variety of jewel tones. She looked at the bed and suddenly felt very nervous and awkward as she thought about what Jareth's expectations might be now that she had accepted him.

"It's lovely," she finally managed to say, hoping she didn't sound as anxious as she felt. "You really didn't have to go all out, though."

"This?" he replied. "It's nothing. But you must be starved. Forgive me," he said, as he waved his arm. A table appeared on the balcony, laden with an assortment of fruit and pastries. As Jareth moved toward it, he motioned for Sarah to follow. He picked up a peach and offered it to her. She looked at him with disbelief. When she realized he was not joking, she bit her lip and refused him as politely as she could. "Oh, n-no, thank you. I've had my fill of peaches for the day." More like the rest of her life, she thought, but decided not to voice that particular opinion.

Jareth's confusion quickly gave way to understanding as he realized the reason for her hesitation to accept the peach. "Ah, yes, quite," he replied, smiling humorlessly at her. "Perhaps something to drink? Some wine, maybe?" he asked, taking a bite of the peach.

"Oh, I'm only allowed a taste of wine on special occasions," she replied. "But I guess you could call this a special occasion." She looked at him almost expectantly, hoping to see any trace of the passion he had so desperately conveyed to her just a few moments ago, but which had been unnervingly absent since then.

"No, no. I don't want to force you if you would rather not. How about some juice?" A goblet suddenly appeared in his hand, and he passed it to her.

"Thank you," she said appreciatively, taking the proffered goblet and sampling its contents. She smiled as she tasted grape juice.

"Well, you must be exhausted after your journey. I shall leave you to get some rest." The look on his face was severe as he watched her drink.

He turned to leave, and as he reached the door, he turned to look at her one last time in a manner that sent shivers up Sarah's back, and not in a good way. "Sweet dreams," he said with a coldness in his voice that made her feel very ill at ease.

Sarah felt panic begin to well up inside her. She was certain she would be unable to sleep, but as she finished her juice, exhaustion set in. Despite her best efforts, she found herself nodding off. She had been hoping to spend some time with Jareth and perhaps get a tour of the castle. Reluctantly, she climbed into bed and fell straight to sleep.

* * *

Hoggle had been waiting for Jareth in the throne room, and as the king hurriedly walked through on his way to attend to other business, Hoggle approached him. "Sire," he called as Jareth continued walking. "Yer Majesty, I has to knows. . . ." Jareth continued walking, doing his best to ignore the dwarf. Hoggle would not allow himself to be brushed off that easily. "Dirty rat," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Hogsbreath?" Jareth whirled on him and glared at him with a look that under any other circumstances would have had the dwarf halfway through the Labyrinth by now. But this was not any other time, and drawing on courage that neither knew he possessed, Hoggle continued. "Sire," he started, grasping tightly at his hat as he twisted it in his hands, "what happened to the little lady? Did she . . . did she. . . ?" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"She accepted her dreams, of course," was Jareth's matter-of-fact reply.

Hoggle visibly slumped, clearly disappointed at learning the fate of his only friend.

"What's this?" Jareth mocked. "Surely a cowardly scab like you doesn't care about the likes of one human girl."

"She was my friend," he said solemnly. "I done wrong by her, and she still called me friend." A tear slowly trailed down his leathery cheek.

"What a load of claptrap, Hoghead! She was a runner, just like any other." Jareth paused and thought about what he had just said. "Well, perhaps not just like any other. Her staying will have an impact on the Underground that will be felt for many, many years." Jareth continued walking, forcing Hoggle to jog to keep up.

"Now, there'll be no more of this nonsense," Jareth admonished him. "She agreed to stay, and her fate is of no further concern to you." His tone made it clear that he was done, and Hoggle took his leave as Jareth finally come to a stop in front of a large door. Like all doors in the castle, it magically opened itself up for him, and he entered the nursery. This is where all the wished away children were brought. None had ever returned home after being brought here. Jareth strode toward the center of the room where a grizzled old goblin woman was carefully watching as her only charge, a little blond toddler in red and white striped pajamas, practiced standing. Upon seeing her master enter, she immediately stood up and curtsied. "Your majesty," she acknowledged. "The babe has been fed and awaits your determination of his fate. As you know, there are several families who have expressed an interest in adopting a lad like this particular one."

Jareth smiled broadly at seeing Toby. He had never had any intention of letting the boy go, provided he could keep Sarah from winning. "Nonsense," he answered the nurse. "Little Jareth will be staying right where he is. I have decided to keep him myself and raise him to be my heir. I grow tired of my father's eternal pestering about settling down and raising a family. As if I could ever be content with a wife! Humph! With a formal heir, I believe I can finally convince my parents to leave me alone in this regard without having to settle for just one woman for the rest of eternity." He walked over to "Little Jareth" and picked him up. "You shall be Prince Jareth, and everyone will fawn over you, and when you're old enough, you'll have your choice of all the most alluring women in the land, just like your papa. Well, your choice after papa has chosen," he amended.

After making sure his newly adopted son was well, Jareth returned to the room where he had left Sarah. He walked in without bothering to knock. As he expected, she was sleeping soundly. He noticed the goblet he had given her was empty. It was natural that she had been thirsty after spending the day traversing the Labyrinth. And even after the episode with the enchanted peach, she had been all too willing to accept a goblet-full of enchanted juice. Except that there would be no waking from this enchantment. Sarah had willingly accepted her dreams, not realizing that in doing so she condemned herself to an eternal sleep so she could be free to dream forever.

It was time to bring the Labyrinth its prize so it could feed directly from the girl's dreams. As Jareth picked up the sleeping girl, he heard a shuffling noise from the doorway behind him. He turned, holding fast to Sarah's limp body, to see Hoggle standing there nervously, still clinging tightly to his hat, and still wringing it in his hands.

"If yeh don't mind, yer majesty, I'd like to come with yeh, sose I can say goodbye to her," Hoggle said solemnly.

"As you wish," Jareth replied dismissively, motioning for him to come close so he could more easily transport the three of them to Sarah's final resting place, a secret room deep under the heart of the Labyrinth.

They appeared in a passageway underneath the Labyrinth lit by candles hanging from sconces. In front of them was a set of ornate double doors, magically sealed to open only at the approach of a member of the royal family. As Jareth stepped forth, they opened of their own volition, granting them access to the room beyond.

The room was small and humid, with dim light glowing from its walls. It was alive with the very essence of the Labyrinth. In the center, there was a pedestal, just large enough for Sarah's small form to lie on. As Jareth set her down, he looked at her, really looked at her. For a human, she was rather fetching. He suddenly regretted having been in such a hurry to enchant her. Out of morbid curiosity, he conjured a crystal. "Show me her dreams," he commanded. The crystal came to life and began glowing, casting a dim light into the semi-darkness. Slowly, an image began to form, and Jareth frowned in frustration. It was a fairy tale wedding, and he had been cast as the hero who had won the princess' heart. Such a pity, he thought, that he had rushed into this. He trailed his hand along her jaw, down her neck, and ended by tracing the outline of her youthful breast over the soft material of her blouse, lightly cupping it while his thumb rubbed the nipple that had instinctively hardened in response to his touch. Oh, how much more vivid her dreams would have been if he had permitted himself a little gratification first and allowed her to experience the pleasures of the flesh. Another day or two would not have hurt anything, for he certainly would have grown tired of her after that.

"What's done is done," he muttered, knowing that his regret was purely selfish. Even in her innocence, her dreams would be more than adequate to feed the Underground. He watched as the Labyrinth accepted the dreamer and vines began spouting from the pedestal, slowly creeping across her body and attaching themselves to Sarah wherever they found flesh, becoming one with her. Without another thought to the human girl, the Goblin King turned to leave.

Hoggle then approached her. He tried to stifle a sob as he saw what the Labyrinth was doing to her. Overcome with emotion, he sobbed. "I's sorry, Sarah, so sorry. That Jareth's nothin' but a dirty rat. I'd hoped ye'd see that, but I guess he played his part too good." He placed a kiss on his friend's forehead before turning to leave. "Sleep well, Sarah."

* * *

Wow, I don't know what dark place this came from. Anyway, sorry about another one-shot. Maybe next time out I can come up with something longer.


End file.
